GPNMB Antibody – Rabbit Polyclonal

Function: Could be a melanogenic enzyme

By similarity.

Subcellular location: Cell membrane; Single-pass type I membrane protein. Melanosome. Note: Identified by mass spectrometry in melanosome fractions from stage I to stage IV. Detected at the cell surface in different types of cancers cells, including glioblastoma multiforme cells and most melanoma cell lines. Ref.8 Ref.9 Ref.10 Ref.11

Tissue specificity: Up-regulated in various cancer cells, including in glioblastoma multiforme. Expressed in many melanoma cells, as well as in tissue macrophages, including liver Kuppfer cells and lung alveolar macrophages, in podocytes and in some cells of the ciliary body of the eye (at protein level). Hardly detectable in healthy brain. Ref.1 Ref.9 Ref.10

Involvement in disease: Glioblastoma multiforme patients that exhibit increased mRNA and protein levels (>3-fold over normal brain) in biopsy samples have a significantly higher risk of death (Ref.10). In the context of cancer immunotherapy, including that of melanoma, has been proposed to be used as a cell surface protein antigen targeted by antibodies coupled to cytotoxic drugs (Ref.9). Ref.9 Ref.10

Sequence similarities: Belongs to the PMEL/NMB family.Contains 1 PKD domain.